Recently, with the development of motorization, the convenience of personal level moving means has been rapidly improved; however varied social problems such as traffic congestion, traffic accidents and the deterioration of roadside environment and global environment occur. Nevertheless, the information and communication technology is advancing at considerable rapid speed.
In these social situations of Japan, it is ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) that are intended to construct advanced networks for people, roads and motor vehicles using the most advanced information and communication technology.
That is, the ITS are new traffic systems established to solve the traffic problems such as traffic accidents and traffic congestions by connecting people, roads and motor vehicles by the information network using the most advanced information and communication technology. The ITS consist of nine development fields according to the master plan jointly defined by relevant five ministries and agencies (the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry) in 1996.
Among these nine development fields, in that of “support for public traffic institutions”, for example, it is said that needs such as the optimum use of traffic institutions, the improvement of the convenience of public traffic systems and the improvement of the efficiency of business management are voiced by the users of the public traffic and transport businesses.
Specifically, as an example of an existing traffic system, a system that bus passengers take buses regularly circulating the same routes has been established around the country. Under such an existing bus based traffic system, a bus runs on a fixed route in accordance with a preset travel diagram. Due to this, if an event or the like that gathers many people is held in the neighborhood of the route, it is expected that passengers exceeding passenger capacities wait for buses at bus stations. In a case like this, the existing diagram cannot provide transport services which satisfy users. As a result, the needs such as the optimum use of traffic institutions and the improvement of the convenience of public traffic systems arise.
It is considered that if there is a system which can grasp the number of bus passengers at real time, measures such as a temporary change in the number of buses can be taken to shorten time for passengers to wait for buses and smooth, efficient transport services can be thereby provided. Namely, such a system can deal with the needs including the optimum use of traffic institutions, the improvement of the convenience of public traffic institutions and the improvement of the efficiency of business management.
It is also considered that if there is a system which can grasp the distance from a bus which is running on a route to a passenger waiting for the bus, proper measures such as a temporary change in the route can be taken and further smooth, efficient transport services can be thereby provided. Such a system can deal with the needs including the optimum use of traffic institutions, the improvement of the convenience of public traffic institutions and the improvement of the efficiency of business management, as well.
In the meantime, there is known, as one of the exiting techniques for measuring the number of such specific people or mobile bodies or distances to specific people or mobile bodies, a system based on radio waves emitted from, for example, cellular phones and PHS (to be generally referred to as “cellular phones” hereinafter).
The cellular phone based system has, however, the following technical disadvantages. It is necessary to prepare a plurality of types of receiving equipment and the like compatible with various communication modes because of the difference in communication mode among the cellular phones. It is difficult to freely set a measurement range. There are errors in the measurement of the number of people and distances. As a result, the establishment of the system confront many obstructions and the current state is that the system cannot be adapted to “support for public traffic institutions” in the ITS.
Furthermore, the measurement of the number of people and mobile bodies based on cellular pones is attached to cellular phone services provided by specific private corporations. Therefore, the measurement is made on the assumption that people take the cellular phone services of these companies. For that reason, the system intended at the subscribers of the cellular phone services which are of no direct relevance to the ITS is apart from equality and is impractical from public benefit viewpoints of “support for public traffic institutions”.
Moreover, if such a system as to be able to identify specific people or mobile bodies at real time exists, it is possible to meet the needs for not only the development field of “support for public traffic institutions” but also automated toll exchange which enables drivers to pass through tollgates without stopping on highways or the like associated with the development field of “electronic toll collection system” in the ITS. The system for identifying people or mobile bodies based on cellular phones is, however, impractical to solve the above-stated varied technical disadvantages.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-stated disadvantages. It is an object of the present invention to provide a received radio wave transmission equipment and a mobile body identification system capable of measuring the number of specific mobile bodies or a distance to a specific mobile body.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a received radio wave transmission equipment and a mobile body identification system capable of identifying a specific mobile body.